Women's National Basketball Association

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"WNBA" redirects here. For other uses, see WNBA (disambiguation).
Women's National Basketball Association
Current season or competition:
2009 WNBA season
The WNBA logo parallels the NBA logo; red and blue featuring a woman holding a basketball
Sport Basketball
Founded 1996
Commissioner Donna Orender
Motto "Expect Great"
Inaugural season 1997
No. of teams 13
Country(ies)  United States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Detroit Shock
Most championships Houston Comets (4)
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, NBA TV
Official website WNBA.com

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. It currently is comprised of thirteen teams from around the United States. The league was founded in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the NBA. League play started in 1997; the regular season is played from June to September with the playoffs starting in mid-September and running into October.

Many WNBA teams have NBA counterparts and play in the same arena. The Connecticut Sun was the only team to play without sharing the city with an NBA team. However, on July 2, 2008, they were joined by the Seattle Storm, when the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City. Currently, the Chicago Sky is the only other team that does not share an arena with an NBA counterpart. The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics are independently owned. This independent ownership is important to the WNBA's growth; at one time, all teams in the league were owned by the NBA.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1997: We Got Next

Officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors on April 24, 1996, the creation of the WNBA was announced at a press conference with Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes in attendance. While not the first major women's professional basketball league in the United States (a distinction held by the defunct WBL), the WNBA is the only league to receive full backing of the NBA. The WNBA logo, "Logo Woman", paralleled the NBA logo and was selected out of 50 different designs.

[edit] Late 1990s: The Comets Dynasty

On the heels of a much-publicized gold medal run by the 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the WNBA began its first season on June 21, 1997 to little fanfare. The league began with eight teams; the first WNBA game featured the New York Liberty facing the Los Angeles Sparks in Los Angeles. The game was televised nationally in the United States on the NBC television network. At the start of the 1997 season, the WNBA had television deals in place with NBC (NBA rights holder), and the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation joint venture channels, ESPN and Lifetime Television Network, respectively. Penny Toler was the first woman to score a point in the league.

The WNBA centered its marketing campaign, dubbed "We Got Next", around stars Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes. In the league's first season, Leslie's Los Angeles Sparks underperformed and Swoopes sat out much of the season due to her pregnancy. The WNBA's true star in 1997 was WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper, Swoopes' teammate on the Houston Comets. The Comets defeated Lobo's New York Liberty in the first WNBA Championship game.

The initial "We Got Next" advertisement would run before each WNBA season until it was replaced with the "We Got Game" campaign.

In 1999, the league's chief competition, the American Basketball League, folded. Many of the ABL's star players, including several Olympic gold medalists (such as Nikki McCray and Dawn Staley) and a number of standout college performers (including Kate Starbird and Jennifer Rizzotti), then joined the rosters of WNBA teams and, in so doing, enhanced the overall quality of play in the league. When a lockout resulted in an abbreviated NBA season, the WNBA saw faltering TV viewership.

Four teams were added after the 1997 season, bringing the number of teams in the league up to twelve. The 1999 season began with a collective bargaining agreement between players and the league, marking the first collective bargaining agreement to be signed in the history of women's professional sports.

[edit] Early 2000s: Moving Forward

The WNBA made a huge step on May 23, 2000, when the Houston Comets became the first WNBA team to be invited to the White House Rose Garden. This step was important to the WNBA's growth because before this invitation, only men's sports teams had traveled to the White House.

By the 2000 season, the WNBA had doubled in size. Two teams were added in 1998: the Detroit Shock and the Washington Mystics; another two in 1999 (the Minnesota Lynx and the Orlando Miracle); and four more for the 2000 season (the Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm, the Miami Sol, and the Portland Fire). Teams and the league were collectively owned by the NBA until 2002, when the NBA sold WNBA teams either to their NBA counterparts in the same city or to a third party. This led to two teams moving; Utah to San Antonio and Orlando to Connecticut. With the move, the Sun became the first WNBA team to be owned by a third party instead of an NBA franchise. This sale of teams also led to two teams folding, the Miami Sol and Portland Fire, because new owners could not be found.

On October 21, 2004, in the wake of the league's success, Val Ackerman, the first WNBA president, announced her resignation, effective February 1, 2005, citing the desire to spend more time with her family. Ackerman later became president of USA Basketball.

On February 15, 2005, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that Donna Orender, who had been serving as the Senior Vice President of the PGA Tour and who had played for several teams in the now-defunct Women's Pro Basketball League, would be Ackerman's successor as of April 2005.

[edit] Late 2000s: Parity in the West, Shock Dynasty in the East

After the 2003 season, the Cleveland Rockers, one of the league's original eight teams, folded because the owners were unwilling to continue operating the franchise.

The WNBA awarded its first real expansion team to Chicago (later named the Sky) in February 2006. In the off-season, a set of rule changes was approved that made the WNBA more like the NBA.

In 2006, the league became the first team-oriented women's professional sports league to exist for ten consecutive seasons. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary, the WNBA released its All-Decade Team, comprising the ten WNBA players deemed to have contributed, through on-court play and off-court activities, the most to women's basketball during the period of the league's existence.

In December 2006, the Charlotte Bobcats organization announced it would no longer operate the Charlotte Sting. Soon after, the WNBA announced that the Sting would not operate for 2007. A dispersal draft was held January 8, 2007. Teams selected in inverse order of their 2006 records; Chicago received the first pick and selected Monique Currie.

In October 2007 the WNBA awarded another expansion franchise to Atlanta. Atlanta businessman Ron Terwilliger is the owner of the new team. Citizens of Atlanta were able to vote for their choices for the new team's nickname and colors. The Dream, as they were named, played their first regular season game on May 17, which was a 100-67[1] loss to the Connecticut Sun.

During this period of expansion and contraction in the East, the Western Conference saw increased levels of parity. In 2008, every Western Conference team was in the running for playoff position until the last week of the season. With the two recent expansion teams (Atlanta and Chicago) and a struggling Washington franchise, the same teams rose in the Eastern Conference year after year.

It was the Detroit Shock however, who were consistently the team-to-beat in the East. After having the worst record in the league in 2002, head coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer (former Piston Bad Boy) made the Shock championship caliber. The team appeared in the WNBA Finals in 2003 and then again every year from 2006 to 2008. The Shock won the championship in 2003, 2006, and 2008, making the team only the second dynasty in the history of the WNBA.

Late in 2008, the WNBA took over ownership of one of the league's original franchises, the Houston Comets. The Comets ceased operations on December 1, 2008 after no owners for the franchise could be found. [1] A dispersal draft took place on December 8, 2008 and with the first pick, Sancho Lyttle was taken by the Atlanta Dream.

[edit] Other Developments

The WNBA Players Association threatened to strike in 2003 if a new deal was not worked out between players and the league. The result was a delay in the start of the 2003 preseason.

In 2007, the WNBA and ESPN came to an 8-year television agreement. The agreement would be the first to pay television rights fees to the league's teams. Never before has an agreement promised rights fees to a women's professional league. The agreement runs from 2009-2016 and is worth "millions and millions of dollars over many years." [2]

During the 2008 regular season, the first ever outdoor professional basketball game was played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever in front of over 19,000 fans. The Fever won the game 71-55.

The 2009 season was set to begin on June 6, 2009 and end on September 13, 2009. A decision was made to start the season later than normal to allow players overseas to have enough time to practice with their WNBA teams. This also allowed all graduating college seniors to participate in graduation ceremonies with their classes.

Prior to the 2009 season, the maximum team roster size was changed from 13 players (11 active and 2 inactive) to 11 players (all active).

[edit] International Influence

An increasing number of international players play in the WNBA, such as:

[edit] Teams

The WNBA originated with 8 teams in 1997, and through a sequence of expansions, contractions, and relocations currently consists of 13 teams. There have been a total of 18 teams in WNBA history. Most WNBA teams are associated with the NBA team from the same market and are known as sister teams. These teams include the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Shock, the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, the New York Knicks and New York Liberty, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, the Sacramento Kings and Sacramento Monarchs, the San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics. The now defunct Charlotte Sting, Miami Sol and Houston Comets were also sister teams of the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets, respectively. The Seattle Storm was the sister team of the now relocated Seattle SuperSonics. As of the 2009 WNBA season, the Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and the San Antonio Silver Stars (formerly Utah Starzz) are the only remaining franchises that were founded in 1997.

Team City/Area Arena Colors Joined WNBA Head Coach
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Dream Atlanta, GA Philips Arena Sky blue, Red, White 2008 Marynell Meadors
Chicago Sky Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion Sky blue, Gold 2006 Steven Key
Connecticut Sun Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena Navy blue, Red, Gold 1999* Mike Thibault
Detroit Shock Auburn Hills, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills Blue, Red, Navy blue 1998 Bill Laimbeer
Indiana Fever Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse Navy blue, Gold, Red 2000 Lin Dunn
New York Liberty New York City, NY Madison Square Garden Blue, Liberty green, Orange 1997 Pat Coyle
Washington Mystics Washington, D.C. Verizon Center Blue, Black, Bronze 1998 Julie Plank
Western Conference
Los Angeles Sparks Los Angeles, CA Staples Center Purple, Gold 1997 Michael Cooper
Minnesota Lynx Minneapolis, MN Target Center Blue, Green, Silver 1999 Don Zierden
Phoenix Mercury Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center Purple, Red, Chartreuse 1997 Corey Gaines
Sacramento Monarchs Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena Purple, Red, Silver 1997 Jenny Boucek
San Antonio Silver Stars San Antonio, TX AT&T Center Black, Silver 1997* Dan Hughes
Seattle Storm Seattle, WA KeyArena Green, Red, Gold 2000 Brian Agler

An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.

[edit] Former Teams

[edit] Future Teams

In 2007, investors took steps to recreate the Colorado Chill, a previously successful franchise in the now-defunct NWBL, as a WNBA expansion team. In September, Chill backers announced that they had not raised enough money to join the WNBA in the 2008 season.

As of August 2008, Norm Freedman, whose history with basketball dates back about 35 years, is heading a group of investors interested in bringing a WNBA franchise to play out of the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "The prospects are better than 50%," Freedman said. "The WNBA is quite positive, and so am I, that a team in Toronto will do well." [3]

In 2008, news surfaced that the WNBA was focusing on Nashville, Tennessee as a possible site for expansion. WNBA President Donna Orender claimed that "Tennessee is so logical" referring to the success of women's college basketball in that area. [4]

The city of Baltimore, Maryland may see a WNBA team in the future. Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon announced that the WNBA said Baltimore may be a location for a WNBA expansion team if a new arena is built in the city. [5]

[edit] The WNBA Draft

Every spring, the WNBA Draft is held in the city that hosted the NCAA Women's Final Four. In 2009, however, the draft was held in Secaucus, New Jersey; the move is most likely a victim of the poor economy. The draft is three rounds long with each of the 13 teams in the league (trades aside) getting three picks. Draft order for teams that made the playoffs the previous year are based on team records. The team with the highest previous record will pick last. Since eight teams qualify for playoffs, the bottom eight picks are determined by this method. For the remaining top five picks, a Draft Lottery is held for the five teams that did not qualify for the playoffs.

[edit] Regular Season

Following the winter break, teams hold training camps in May. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 11-woman roster with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. The WNBA regular season begins in June.

During the regular season, each team plays 34 games, 17 each home and away. In the Western Conference, each team plays the five other teams 4 times each (20 games). Then they each play teams from the Eastern Conference twice (14 games), once on each team's home court. In the Eastern Conference, every team plays two teams in their conference 3 times each and play the remaining four teams 4 times apiece (22 games). Then they each play team from the opposite conference twice (12 games), once on each team's home court. This asymmetrical structure means the strength of schedule will vary significantly between teams. Each team hosts and visits every other team at least once every season.

[edit] WNBA All-Star Game

In July, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual WNBA All-Star Game. The game is part of a weekend-long event, held in a selected WNBA city each year. The actual game is played on the selected WNBA team's home court. The All-Star Game features star players from the Western Conference facing star players from the Eastern Conference. During the season, fans get to vote for the players they would like to see start the game. The 2006 All-Star Game was the first game to feature custom uniforms that match the decade anniversary logo. Due to the Olympics, there was no WNBA All-Star Game in 2008. The 2009 All-Star Game will be held on July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the Connecticut Sun.

Shortly after the All-Star break is the trading deadline. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers.

[edit] Awards

Around the beginning of September, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards. The Sixth Woman of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (must have more games coming off the bench than actual games started). The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award is awarded to the player who shows the outstanding sportsmanship on and off the court. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (her team) that season.

Also named are the All-WNBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Team; each consists of five players. There are two All-WNBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There is one All-Rookie team, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

[edit] 2008 Award Winners

Award Winner Position Team
WNBA Finals MVP Award Katie Smith Guard/Forward Detroit Shock
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Lisa Leslie Center Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Most Improved Player Award Ebony Hoffman Forward Indiana Fever
WNBA Peak Performer (Points) Diana Taurasi Guard/Forward Phoenix Mercury
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds) Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists) Lindsay Whalen Guard Connecticut Sun
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award Candice Wiggins Guard Minnesota Lynx
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Vickie Johnson Guard San Antonio Silver Stars
WNBA Coach of the Year Award Mike Thibault Coach Connecticut Sun

[edit] Olympic-Year Seasons

During years in which the Summer Olympics are held, the WNBA takes a month off in the middle of the season to allow players to practice and compete with their respective national teams. During the 2008 season, most of August was taken off to allow for the 2008 Summer Olympics being held in Beijing, China. The regular season ran from May 17, 2008 to September 14, 2008 (the Olympic break was from July 28, 2008 to August 27, 2008. The WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals led into October.

[edit] The WNBA Playoffs

Main article: WNBA Playoffs

The WNBA Playoffs begin in late September, with four teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed plays the fourth seed, and the second seed plays the third seed, having a higher seed generally means one will be facing a weaker team. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage.

The first two playoff rounds follow a tournament format with each team playing a rival in a best-of-three series, with the first team to win two games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the WNBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 4th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams. In both rounds, the best-of-three series follows a 1-2 home-court pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in game 1 while the other plays at home in games 2 and 3.

[edit] The WNBA Finals

Main article: WNBA Finals

The final playoff round, a best-of-five series between the victors of each conference, is known as the WNBA Finals, and is held annually in late September. Each player on the winning team receives a championship ring. In addition, the league awards a WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. For this round, the series follows a 2-2-1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, and 5, while the other plays at home in games 3 and 4. The 2-2-1 pattern in the WNBA Finals has been in place since 2005.

Season Winner Runner-Up Format Result Finals MVP
1997 Houston Comets New York Liberty Single game 65-51 Cynthia Cooper
1998 Houston Comets Phoenix Mercury Best-of-three 2-1 Cynthia Cooper
1999 Houston Comets New York Liberty Best-of-three 2-1 Cynthia Cooper
2000 Houston Comets New York Liberty Best-of-three 2-0 Cynthia Cooper
2001 Los Angeles Sparks Charlotte Sting Best-of-three 2-0 Lisa Leslie
2002 Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Best-of-three 2-0 Lisa Leslie
2003 Detroit Shock Los Angeles Sparks Best-of-three 2-1 Ruth Riley
2004 Seattle Storm Connecticut Sun Best-of-three 2-1 Betty Lennox
2005 Sacramento Monarchs Connecticut Sun Best-of-five 3-1 Yolanda Griffith
2006 Detroit Shock Sacramento Monarchs Best-of-five 3-2 Deanna Nolan
2007 Phoenix Mercury Detroit Shock Best-of-five 3-2 Cappie Pondexter
2008 Detroit Shock San Antonio Silver Stars Best-of-five 3-0 Katie Smith

[edit] Players and coaches

Main article: List of WNBA players
Main article: List of WNBA head coaches

Over a decade after the launch of the WNBA, in 2008 only five players remain from the original 1997 WNBA Draft: Tamecka Dixon, Vickie Johnson, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. A sixth player, Mwadi Mabika, was not drafted in 1997 but signed as a free agent. Only one player remains on the same team that she was drafted by: Leslie with the Los Angeles Sparks. All except for Johnson have won a championship (Dixon, Leslie, and Mabika with the Sparks; Swoopes and Thompson with the Houston Comets).

The members of the WNBA's All-Decade Team were chosen in 2006 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the WNBA from amongst 30 nominees compiled by fan, media, coach, and player voting. The team was to comprise the 10 best and most influential players of the first decade of the WNBA, with consideration also given to sportsmanship, community service, leadership, and contribution to the growth of women's basketball.

Over 50 players have scored more than 2,000 points or more in their WNBA careers. Only three WNBA players have reached the 5,000 point milestone: Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson and Katie Smith.

In 2007, Paul Westhead of the Phoenix Mercury became the first person to earn both NBA and WNBA championship rings as a coach.

In 2008, 50-year-old Nancy Lieberman became the oldest player to play in a WNBA game. She signed a seven-day contract with the Detriot Shock and played one game. She broke the previous record (39) which was set by herself in 1997 before she retired.

[edit] Rules and Regulations

Rules are governed by standard basketball rules as defined by the NBA, with a few notable exceptions:

  • The three-point line is 20 feet 6.25 inches (6.25 m) from the middle of the basket.
  • The regulation WNBA ball is a minimum 28.5 inches (72.4 cm) in circumference, 1.00 inch (2.54 cm) smaller than the NBA ball. As of 2004, this size is used for all senior-level women's competitions worldwide.
  • There is no block/charge arc under the basket.
  • Quarters are 10 minutes in duration instead of 12.
  • There is no defensive 3-second rule.

Games are divided into four 10-minute quarters as opposed to the league's original two 20-minute halves of play, as to fit with international procedures (many WNBA players play in Europe or Australia in the Northern Hemisphere autumn and winter).

Since the 2006 WNBA season, rules have been created or altered making the game more like the NBA style of play.

  • The NBA rule on jump balls is used for determining possession for the second, third, and fourth periods (i.e. team winning tip is awarded the ball at the beginning of the fourth quarter; the other team gets it to start the second and third periods). Under the two-half format both periods started with jump balls, presumably to prevent teams from purposely losing the opening tip in order to get the ball first in the second half. With the four quarters format this is not a problem because the team that wins the tip gets the ball first in the final period.
  • The shot clock was decreased from 30 to 24 seconds (14 second reset on any defensive foul if less than such time remains when a foul is called). The rule changes signaled a move away from rules more similar to those of college basketball and toward those that provide a more NBA-like game.
  • The amount of time that a team must move the ball across the half-court line went from 10 to 8 seconds. In addition, a referee can grant time-outs to either a player or the coach, as in the NBA.

[edit] Court Dimensions

WNBA Court Dimensions
Area Imperial Metric
Length of court (baseline to baseline) 94 ft 28.65 m
Width of court (sideline to sideline) 50 ft 15.24 m
Rim height (floor to rim) 10 ft 3.05 m
Center circle diameter 12 ft 3.66 m
Three-point line distance from center of basket 20.5 ft 6.25 m
Shaded area/Lane/Key length 19 ft 5.8 m
Shaded area/Lane/Key width 16 ft 4.88m
Free-throw line (distance from backboard) 15 ft 4.57 m
Free-throw half-circle radius 6 ft 1.83 m
Backboard width (side to side) 6 ft 1.83 m
Coaching box width (from baseline) 28 ft 8.54 m
*All dimensions are in line with NBA regulations except the three-point arc.

[edit] Business

[edit] WNBA Presidents

[edit] Finance

So far the WNBA has not mirrored the monetary success of the NBA, though it targets profitability.

However, in a March 12, 2009 article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We're losing a lot of money amongst a large number of teams. We're budgeting the WNBA to break even this year." [6]

[edit] Salary Caps

In 2008, a new six-year collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon between the players and the league. The salary cap for an entire team in 2009 is $803,000. By 2013 (the sixth year under this agreement), the cap for an entire team will be $900,000. In 2009, the minimum salary for a player with three-plus years of experience is $51,000 while the maximum salary for a six-plus year player is $99,500. The minimum salary for rookies is $35,190.[7] [8] Many WNBA players supplement their salaries by playing in European or Australian women's basketball leagues during the WNBA off-season.

[edit] Bonuses

WNBA players are also awarded bonuses for certain achievements. A player who earns a league award gets a $5,000 bonus. The league Most Valuable Player receives a $15,000 bonus. Additionally, playoff bonuses are given and each player on the WNBA champion team receives a $10,500 bonus.

[edit] Merchandise

In 2008, league merchandise sales were up more than 36%, and WNBA jersey sales were up more than 46%, based on combined sales from the NBA Store and WNBAStore.com.

2008 WNBA Jersey Sales
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Player Candace Parker Lisa Leslie Becky Hammon Janel McCarville Essence Carson Diana Taurasi Shameka Christon Tamika Catchings Candice Wiggins Tina Thompson
Team Los Angeles Los Angeles San Antonio New York New York Phoenix New York Indiana Minnesota Houston

[edit] Attendance

Overall, league attendance was about 8,000 people per game in 2008. Attendance has gone up and down but has climbed slightly in the last two years. Attendance was at its peak in the league's second season (1998) at almost 11,000 fans per game, and the all time league average is 8,400 fans per game. [9]

  • There were 46 sellouts in 2008, almost triple the 17 for the 2007 regular season and double the previous record of 23 in 2004.


Total WNBA Attendance
Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Attendance 9,669 10,869 10,207 9,074 9,075 9,228 8,800 8,613 8,172 7,490 7,750 7,931
Team 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Arena
Atlanta Dream 8,316 Philips Arena
Chicago Sky 3,390 3,915 3,656 UIC Pavilion
Connecticut Sun 6,707 7,173 7,417 7,970 7,644 Mohegan Sun Arena
Detroit Shock 9,462 9,374 9,380 9,749 9,569 The Palace of Auburn Hills
Indiana Fever 7,588 8,382 7,222 7,032 7,702 Conseco Fieldhouse
Los Angeles Sparks 10,428 8,854 8,311 8,695 9,508 Staples Center
Minnesota Lynx 7,359 6,673 6,442 7,119 6,968 Target Center
New York Liberty 9,886 10,140 9,120 8,698 9,045 Madison Square Garden
Phoenix Mercury 8,017 7,303 7,459 7,737 8,522 US Airways Center
Sacramento Monarchs 8,679 8,542 8,691 8,387 8,180 ARCO Arena
San Antonio Silver Stars 8,395 7,944 7,397 7,569 7,984 AT&T Center
Seattle Storm 7,899 8,891 8,568 7,974 8,265 KeyArena
Washington Mystics 12,615 10,088 7,839 7,739 9,096 Verizon Center
Eastern Conference 8,851 8,488 7,187 7,517 7,861
Western Conference 8,409 7,901 7,793 7,950 8,002

[edit] Media Coverage

Currently, WNBA games are televised throughout the U.S. by ABC, ESPN2 and NBA TV. In the early years two women's-oriented networks, Lifetime and Oxygen, also broadcast games including the first game of the WNBA. NBC showed games from 1997 to 2002 as part of their NBA on NBC coverage before the league transferred the rights to ABC/ESPN.

In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ABC. The new television deal runs from 2009 to 2016. A minimum of 18 games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 each season; the rights to broadcast the first regular season game and the All-Star game are held by ABC. Additionally, a minimum of 11 postseason games will be broadcast on any of the three stations.

Along with this deal, came the first ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" will be "dispersed to the league's teams."

Many teams have local telecasts and all games are also on local radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

[edit] Viewership

Saturday and Sunday afternoon games are broadcast on ABC. Tuesday night games are broadcast on ESPN2. On opening day (May 17, 2008), ABC broadcast the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury matchup. The game received a little over 1 million viewers. Average viewership for games broadcast on national television was 413,000 (up from 346,000 in 2007).

In 2008, the WNBA finished up in key demographics on ESPN2 -- Women 18-34 (+71%) and Men 18-34 (+28%) – and on ABC -- All Women (+10%) and Women 18-34 (+20%). [10]

Ratings remain poor in comparison to NBA games. WNBA games averaged just 413,000 viewers, compared to 1.46 million viewers for NBA games. [11] However, the WNBA gets more viewers on national television broadcasts than both Major League Soccer (253,000) [12] and the NHL (310,732). [13]

[edit] 2009 Season on ABC and ESPN

Date Time Matchup Channel
Thursday, April 9th, 2009 3:00PM 2009 WNBA Draft: First Round ESPN2
Thursday, April 9th, 2009 4:00 PM 2009 WNBA Draft: Later Rounds ESPNU, NBA TV
Saturday, June 6th, 2009 2:30PM Detroit Shock @ Los Angeles Sparks ABC
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 7:00PM Seattle Storm @ Indiana Fever ESPN2
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 7:30PM Phoenix Mercury @ San Antonio Silver Stars ESPN2
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 7:00PM Minnesota Lynx @ Atlanta Dream ESPN2
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 9:00PM Seattle Storm @ Sacramento Monarchs ESPN2
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 7:00PM Los Angeles Sparks @ Connecticut Sun ESPN2
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 7:00PM Chicago Sky @ Washington Mystics ESPN2
Saturday, July 25th, 2009 3:30PM 2009 WNBA All-Star Game ABC
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 7:00PM Phoenix Mercury @ Connecticut Sun ESPN2
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 7:30PM New York Liberty @ Detroit Shock ESPN2
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 9:00PM New York Liberty @ Los Angeles Sparks ESPN2
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 10:00PM Chicago Sky @ Los Angeles Sparks ESPN2
Saturday, August 29th, 2009 4:00PM Detroit Shock @ San Antonio Silver Stars ESPN2
Sunday, September 13th, 2009 3:00PM Los Angeles Sparks @ Phoenix Mercury ESPN2

[edit] All-Time Franchise History

Team Years Regular Season
Overall Record		 Regular Season
Winning %		 Playoff
Appearances		 Playoffs
Overall Record		 Playoffs
Winning %		 WNBA
Championships
Atlanta Dream 2008-present 4-30 .118 0 0
Charlotte Sting 1997-2006 143-179 .444 6 6-13 .316 0
Chicago Sky 2006-present 31-71 .304 0 0
Cleveland Rockers 1997-2003 108-112 .491 4 6-9 .400 0
Connecticut Sun 1  1999-present 187-145 .563 7 18-16 .529 0
Connecticut Sun 2003-present 127-77 .623 6 17-15 .531 0
Orlando Miracle 1999-2002 60-68 .469 1 1-2 .333 0
Detroit Shock 1998-present 192-170 .530 7 27-17 .614 3
Houston Comets 1997-2008 241-149 .618 9 20-14 .588 4
Indiana Fever 2000-present 146-154 .487 5 7-11 .389 0
Los Angeles Sparks 1997-present 248-142 .636 9 27-20 .574 2
Miami Sol 2000-2002 48-48 .500 1 1-2 .333 0
Minnesota Lynx 1999-present 138-194 .416 2 1-4 .250 0
New York Liberty 1997-present 210-180 .538 9 21-24 .467 0
Phoenix Mercury 1997-present 192-198 .492 4 10-8 .555 1
Portland Fire 2000-2002 37-59 .385 0 0
Sacramento Monarchs 1997-present 212-178 .544 9 24-19 .558 1
San Antonio Silver Stars 2  1997-present 172-218 .441 4 8-13 .381 0
San Antonio Silver Stars 2003-present 85-119 .417 2 6-7 .462 0
Utah Starzz 1997-2002 87-99 .468 2 2-5 .286 0
Seattle Storm 2000-present 148-152 .493 6 9-12 .429 1
Washington Mystics 1998-present 142-220 .392 4 4-8 .500 0


[edit] See also

WNBA Pages

Video Games featuring WNBA Players

WNBA Television Partners

Other WNBA-related Articles

Other North American Professional Women's Basketball Leagues

Other North American Professional Women's Leagues

[edit] References

  1. ^ Comets To Cease Operations from Houston KRIV
  2. ^ Rights Fees to be Paid
  3. ^ TorontoSun.com - Basketball - WNBA coming north?
  4. ^ BusinessTN - Basketball - Get the Ball Bouncing
  5. ^ BaltimoreSun.com - Opinions of city's WNBA viability vary
  6. ^ http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/nba-getting-through-tough-times-2539976
  7. ^ WomensBasketballOnline.com: WNBA Salary Scale
  8. ^ Women's National Basketball Association Collective Bargaining Agreement
  9. ^ Callahan, Kim. "Season by Season WNBA Attendance", WomensBasketballOnline.com
  10. ^ 2008 Business Report
  11. ^ WNBA Ratings up but Still Not Good
  12. ^ http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60481
  13. ^ http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61172

[edit] External links

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Women's National Basketball Association (2009)
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Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics Phoenix Mercury Seattle Storm
Detroit Shock
Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals
Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career scoring · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history · Finals broadcasters · List of players · MVP · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · WNBA on ESPN
v • d • e
2009 WNBA season by team
Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals
Eastern Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Detroit Shock Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics
Western Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Sacramento Monarchs San Antonio Silver Stars Seattle Storm
←  2008 • WNBA season • 2010  →
International women's basketball
v • d • e

FIBA | Olympics | World Championship | World Rankings
U21 World Championship | U19 World Championship | U17 World Championship | Teams
     Africa: FIBA Africa – Africa Championship
     Americas: FIBA Americas – Americas Championship
     Asia: FIBA Asia – Asian Championship
     Europe: FIBA Europe – EuroBasket
     Oceania: FIBA Oceania – Oceania Championship
Note: The Under-21 Championship is no longer held.
Women's professional basketball leagues
v • d • e
Americas: Women's National Basketball Association
Europe: English Basketball League
Oceania: Women's National Basketball League
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_National_Basketball_Association"
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